She noted the numerous sacrifices he and his colleagues made for their convictions.

"Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude," she said. "It was a difficult, painful and exhaustive period in their lives.

Steven Cook, curator at Uncle Tom's Cabin, said the honour was long overdue.

He said growing up in the area he wasn't aware of the story.

"It was very quiet. It was something that wasn't talked about in the families," he said. "To learn about the struggle that they went through and all the challenges they had ... being able to recognize that today is really important."